


you and me, forever more

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: first to fight [10]
Category: The Code (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Established Relationship, F/M, New Year's Day, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22085983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: They spend the first day of the New Year together, some of it with his family, and it feels right in a way nothing else has before.
Relationships: John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li
Series: first to fight [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1471817
Comments: 8
Kudos: 7





	you and me, forever more

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from "New Year's Day" by Taylor Swift.

“Happy New Year,” Harper murmured just as the clock struck midnight, glancing away from the screen to smile up at Abe. He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips, then pressed another to her cheek once they’d separated.

“Happy New Year,” he repeated, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. “You think it’s going to be a good one?”

“Mm,” she murmured, snuggling a bit closer and allowing her eyes to drift shut. “I think it’s going to be the best one yet.”

“I agree with that assessment,” he replied, slowly running his fingers through her hair. “It already is,” he added a moment later, more softly than before. He kissed the top of her head. “You want to go to bed?”

“No,” she protested tiredly. “I go to bed less than three minutes into the New Year, it feels like admitting defeat.”

“Well, you stayed awake until midnight,” he pointed out rationally.

“Not the point, sweetheart,” she sighed, opening her eyes to accept the remote from him. She flipped over to Netflix, then settled on the most ridiculous-sounding movie she could find – one that, for some inexplicable reason, was the third in a series – and waited for it to begin playing before burrowing back under the blankets once more.

It wasn’t even ten minutes later that Abe glanced down to find her struggling to stay awake. “Okay,” he murmured tenderly, “you really should go to sleep before you end up with a crick in your neck.”

“That won’t happen; I’m using you as a pillow,” she muttered in response. “If I move now, I’ll never be able to get back to sleep, and then I’ll sleep right through brunch with your family.”

“Liam just flew in from Syria,” Abe reminded her. “They’re seven hours ahead of us, which means that, more likely than not, we won’t hear anything from him until at least noon tomorrow. I’ve seen you try to sleep in before, Harper; I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“We just put on a movie, though,” Harper pointed out.

“Oh, yes,” Abe agreed drily. “We did. Huh. I wonder if there’s any possible way we’d be able to watch it at a later time.”

“Shut up,” Harper huffed without any real heat.

“And you’re going to hate it, anyway,” Abe continued. “You always hate movies of this genre.”

“I don’t always…” She trailed off, considering his words. “Okay, maybe I do,” she allowed a moment later. “But, seriously, _why_ are we watching this?” she questioned a moment later, her eyes opening briefly just so she could glare at the screen.

“Because you said, and I quote, _This looks like the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen; we’ve got to watch it_ ,” he reminded her amusedly. “This was less than fifteen minutes ago, mind you; I think your lack of sleep might be getting to you already, sweetheart.”

“It does look like the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen,” she defended. “We live in the twenty-first century. There’s no way their kid’s going to be cursed if her parents don’t sign a treaty before a specified time.”

“Yes, and the first movie and its original sequel were just as nonsensical,” he pointed out patiently. “I’m not sure why you expect the same writers to suddenly develop some sort of eye for logic, sweetheart.”

“I believe in giving people second chances,” she replied, shaking her head at the scene unfolding on the screen and then heaving a sigh. “And, more often than not, they disappoint me,” she muttered, rolling her eyes as the dialogue continued on.

“You really need to stop hate-watching things,” he informed her seriously, reaching for the remote and handing it over to her. “I’m assuming we’ll be watching _Designated Survivor_ for the thousandth time,” he said resignedly.

“No, sweetheart,” she assured him, resting her head on his shoulder. “ _The West Wing_ is on here.”

“I’m much more agreeable to that,” he replied immediately.

“Yeah,” she laughed quietly, stretching up to press a kiss to his cheek, “I figured.”

The opening scene of the series’ first episode began to play, and they settled in, tucked beneath a pile of blankets, to welcome the New Year in their own special – and, in their honest opinion, right – way.

-o-

“So,” Harper began, pulling her out a bit tighter around her in an attempt to block out the bite of the bitterly cold air. “Is this brunch another Abraham family tradition?”

Abe shrugged, holding the door open for her and then following her into the restaurant. “It was for a while, then we stopped. Mom only brought it back recently,” he explained, his hand falling to the small of her back as they made their way around an exiting group. “When I was a kid, there were a few years in a row that Dad was working New Year’s Eve. He didn’t get off until around eight on the first, so we’d meet him somewhere, get some facetime in before he went home and passed out.”

“That’s sweet,” Harper remarked, glancing up at him with a tender smile. “That you had those moments with your dad; that you get to have those memories of him.”

Abe nodded. “They were some pretty great times,” he agreed. “If I had to guess, I’d say that’s the reason Mom chose to bring it back.”

“it’s good you have traditions,” Harper told him seriously. “Something to pass down.”

“It is,” Abe concurred. “Probably why Mom kept most of them alive, even after Dad was gone. He loved the New Year,” he told her, his smile a mixture of fondness and grief. “The years he didn’t have to work, he’d load us into the car, drive us around to see all the fireworks. It was pretty great.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing that next year,” Harper mentioned. “The only New Year fireworks I was ever allowed to see were my parents’ friends, which were insanely expensive and yet somehow still boring. Until then, I didn’t know it was possible to be bored by something exploding right in front of you.”

He smiled at that, fondly amused by her unexpected rant, but otherwise didn’t respond. “There’s Mom,” he mentioned, nodding in the direction of the table his mother and siblings were seated at. “Try not to be shocked when you see what Candace puts on her pancakes,” he murmured just before they claimed their own seats.

“Here we go again,” Candace sighed exasperatedly, not even bothering to glance up from her menu. “It really isn’t that strange. More accepting individuals might even consider it normal, in fact.”

“There isn’t a planet in this universe on which putting peaches, strawberries, _and_ chocolate chips on the same stack of pancakes would be considered normal,” he retorted. “It’s not any less weird just because you order it every year.”

The waitress dropped by the table to take their drink orders, briefly halting the siblings’ lighthearted argument, but it took them no time at all to start up again after she’d left.

“It was never weird in the first place,” Candace said once more.

“Yes,” Abe returned with an emphatic nod of his head. “It was. But we can continue to pretend, if it’ll make you feel better.”

His sister rolled her eyes. “You know what? I give up. It’s not like I’d ever actually take pancake advice from you, big brother, considering you prefer French toast.” She wrinkled her nose as she uttered the food’s name, and Harper had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing. “The people I’m related to,” Candace added under her breath a moment later.

“John, Candace, mind your manners,” their mother ordered absently, continuing to flip through her menu. “It’s New Year’s Day, you two. Could we perhaps make this the year my adult children don’t squabble at the table?”

“I would just like to point out that I’m not contributing to this at all,” Liam piped up helpfully, reaching for the container of half-and-half at the center of the table.

“No,” his mother agreed, shaking her head with no small amount of fondness as she looked over at him. “You’re not.” 

“He’s sleep-deprived,” Candace objected. “He shouldn’t get good-child points for this.”

“Yeah, well,” her younger brother returned, placing the carton of half-and-half back where he’d gotten it from, “I’m going to accept them, anyway.”

Candace looked like she wanted to argue further, but thought better of it, instead choosing to change the topic. “Where’s Farrah?” she asked her brother. “Did she not want to listen to Johnny insult the greatest concoction known to man?”

Abe rolled his eyes without responding to his sister’s baiting, instead reaching for the mug of coffee the waitress had just placed before him and taking a sip.

“She’s with her parents,” Liam explained, ignoring his older siblings’ antics. “Her sister-in-law had her niece yesterday, so she decided to stay in South Carolina. You’ll meet her soon, though,” he assured her before she could protest. “She’s already made plans to come visit over Easter weekend.”

“That’s months away,” Candace pointed out with a sigh. “But fine.” The waitress dropped by once again a few seconds later to take everyone’s meal orders. As soon as she left, Candace looked over at her mother. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask – is Max going to be around today?”

“Well, that depends,” her mother returned evenly. “If he comes over, will you be nice to him?”

Candace hesitated. “Aren’t I always nice?”

“No,” her older brother answered without hesitation. He shrugged unrepentantly when his sister glared across the table at him. “Not when it comes to Max,” he clarified. “Or anything that even hints at Mom’s moving on, for that matter,” he added a moment later.

“Well, I’m always at least courteous,” she defended herself weakly.

Abe shook his head in response to his sister’s answer, then glanced over at their mother. “I’ll be nice to him, Mom,” he volunteered.

His mother smiled warmly. “I know you will be. You always are.”

“Okay, I’m not awful to him,” Candace protested. “I’m just… unused to our mother dating, or, you know, being involved in any way with a man that isn’t Dad. I’m not evil for feeling this way, am I?”

“Of course not, sweetheart,” her mother assured her genuinely, reaching over to pat her hand. “I would never think that, no matter how poorly you treated him. It’s just… it’s rather clear, sometimes, that you don’t particularly want him around.”

“I don’t mean to make him feel that way,” Candace sighed ashamedly.

“I know,” her mother murmured, patting her hand once more. “I know you don’t.”

“Well.” Liam cleared his throat. “This has become a rather deep conversation suddenly.”

“Am I the only one who feels weird about this?” Candace questioned, glancing between her brothers.

Abe shrugged. “Over six months in? Yes.”

“I have yet to meet the man,” Liam reminded his sister. “So I can’t really comment on his character. I will say, however, that it’s been eighteen years since we lost Dad. It’s about time we stop terrifying the men our grown adult mother brings home, don’t you think, sis?” 

“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I’m happy about it,” Candace informed her brother. “But, yes. I agree. We should be nicer to Mom’s… dates.”

“ _You_ should be nicer,” Abe corrected pointedly. “Liam and I have been nice for years now.”

“Okay, I get it,” she muttered exasperatedly. “If I promise to behave, will you invite Max? I really would like to get to know him better. Plus, you know, Liam needs to meet him.”

Her mother smiled. “I will,” she promised. “Please do your best to honor that promise, though.”

“I will,” her only daughter swore.

Abe cleared his throat, then leaned down to Harper’s ear so he could speak to her without being heard by the entire table. “Well,” he murmured, “this should be interesting.”

“Since you’re talking about your sister, you actually mean it should be hilarious, don’t you?” she replied just as quietly.

“Yes,” he confirmed, nodding once. “Yes, I do.” 

-o-

“See?” Abe remarked quietly, holding the door open for her that evening so she could proceed him out onto the patio. “Interesting.”

“She was nice,” Harper defended his sister.

“Yes, to the point of it being comical,” Abe chuckled. “Just as I promised.” He opened her car door for her, then waited for her to get in before closing it, as well. He circled around to climb behind the wheel. After the key had been turned in the ignition, allowing the heater to kick in, he turned to look at her. “I feel as if she completely erased any meaning the word _engineering_ might’ve had to me before tonight.”

“Well, Max _was_ an engineer,” Harper pointed out as he put the car in Reverse and backed out of the driveway. “For sixteen years. Maybe she just figured it was a safe topic.”

“Maybe,” Abe allowed, pulling onto the main road. “It wasn’t _as_ obvious she felt awkward this time around, so… I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. Maybe she’s making progress. Putting in an effort for Mom’s sake. If that _is_ what she’s doing, then I’m glad. It’s past time.”

“Can I ask you something?” Harper questioned, waiting until he nodded before continuing. “What is her problem with your mom dating?”

Abe shrugged. “She was twelve when Dad died. She took it harder than the rest of us, which is saying a lot. Mom had issues getting her out of bed for about three months after the funeral. How bad she took his death is really the reason Mom’s waited this long to get serious about someone,” he informed her. “She didn’t want to hurt Candace any more than necessary.”

“From your tone, I’m guessing you didn’t agree with that decision,” Harper remarked mildly.

Abe’s eyes remained on the road as he responded. “Dad loved Mom more than anything in the world, second only to his kids,” he told her. “He wouldn’t have wanted her to spend nearly twenty years of her life alone. I tried to tell Candace that a few times; you can probably imagine how it went.”

“You weren’t entirely okay with it, either,” Harper reminded him. “When I came home from California…”

“I felt the normal amount of awkwardness about the fact that my mother was dating,” he interjected. “I’ve never had any real issues with it. God willing, they won’t develop. Mom can only handle so much.”

“Mm. So,” Harper replied, glancing over at him. “If your mom ends up marrying this guy…”

Abe briefly took his eyes off the road to look over at her. “I’ll cope,” he assured her drily. His face softened a moment later as he continued. “If it made my mother happy, there’s very few things I wouldn’t find a way to live with.”

“Aw,” she murmured, reaching over to pat his leg. “You’re such a mama’s boy.”

“I have never denied this,” he pointed out to her. “And I’m not really ashamed of the title.”

“That’s sweet,” she said softly, smiling over at him. “You’re sweet.”

“Well, I do try my best, ma’am,” he replied formally, laughing when she tossed him an incredulous glare. “No? Okay, I won’t do it again,” he promised. They rode in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. “So, now that the day’s almost over…”

“It’s literally three minutes past seven,” she observed amusedly.

“Well, regardless,” he continued, “what’s your opinion of the new year now? Has it changed since this morning?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m still pretty sure it’s going to be the best yet,” she replied honestly. “How about you?”

“My opinion hasn’t changed, either,” he assured her, glancing over with the tenderest smile she’d ever seen. “I’m positive it already _is_ the best.”

Harper couldn’t help but silently agree.


End file.
